Guillemot-Michel Vire-Clesse Retour a la Terre is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
This cuvée is produced from grapes planted in the "Champ-Rond" vineyard and vinified in 800-liter amphoras.
The wine displays the estate's typical exotic fruit aromas and ripe citrus fruits with an extra dimension of expression due to the amphora's breathing. Ample and generous in the mouth with fine acidity and fantastic purity.
Guillemot-Michel Vire-Clesse Retour a la Terre is aged in 800-liter amphoras. The small grapes ripen beautifully without a high degree of alcohol - they are picked on the last day of the harvest, and the aging in amphora gives the wine a great purity.
The vines are grafted on "Riparia Gloire de Montpellier" - an old root-stock that was obtained in 1880 - producing very low yields with magnificent small grapes of a deep gold color.
Hahn Estate Lucienne Chardonnay Lone Oak Vineyard is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Reviews:
Lemon blossom, grapefruit rind, pastry flake and a hint of ash show on the nose of this single-vineyard expression from the Hahn family. It's suave and broad on the palate at first, then it chisels down to pinpoint acidity, delivering flavors of apricot, lime zest and chalk before the slightly nutty finish. Matt Kettmann
-Wine Enthusiast 94 Points
The origin of Lot C-91 began in the fall of 1969 when Joe Heitz created this one-off cuvée, which was very normal in those days, as a more premium version of his already iconic Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon bottling. Joe envisioned Lot C-91 as a greater step up in quality from the Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, with a higher quality of fruit sourcing, coming exclusively from the sought-after single vineyards of Heitz Cellar.
Lot C-91 is the culmination of 50 years of tireless effort, trial and error, and the continual desire to make a unique expression of the heralded vineyards of Heitz Cellar.
Review:
Wow. Such a racy and exciting nose! This is quite agile and nimble, full of red and blue berries in the forefront, then complemented by spiced orange, earl grey, red plums, potpourri, savory plums and chocolate. Tense and elegant on the palate, which is all about succulent red berries, nuance and texture. Nothing redundant here. A great Napa cabernet sauvignon that has real definition. A beauty by all accounts!
-James Suckling 96 Points
In 1969, Heitz produced a one-off cuvée called Lot C-91. It was thought of as an elevated version of the Napa Valley Cabernet – a 'best of the best' blend from sites throughout Napa. After a bottle of the '69 turned up and turned heads at a Heitz wine dinner, the winemaking team decided to produce a modern iteration. It's comprised of vineyards in four AVAs: Rutherford (34%), Oakville (34%), Howell Mountain (17%) and St Helena (15%). The dazzling nose instantly shows off the component from Martha's Vineyard and on the palate it walks the line between succulent, powerful, herbal and floral, showing none of the heat of the 2017 vintage. As of June 2020, this was still a barrel sample, while many Napa 2017s are already on the market.
-Decanter 96 Points
Dark crimson in color, with deep garnet hues. A concentrated array of aromas of mulberry, blackberry and dark plum indicate the richness to come, while savory and complex notes of charcuterie, cedar, sage and five spice tease the senses. Plush and velvety on the palate, the wine has intense fruit concentration with plum, red currant, blackberry and anise flavors, yet an enchantingly elegant and refined structure. Layers of silky tannins reveal the impressive depth of the wine before giving way to an incredibly long finish.
Review:
This has a very complex nose, offering so many facets of spices and fragrance with florals and orange peel, as well as crushed stones, ripe black cherries, blackberries and dark cherries, earth, chocolate and more. The intensity and power here is very tightly held and it has a build of such precise tannins, which carry very intense and assertively ripe blackberries, dark cherries, ripe plums and blueberries. So much on offer here. This has a very bold, intense feel. Exceptional vintage. One of their finest. Try from 2028.
-James Suckling 100 Points
The Cabernet Sauvignon Casey’s Lakeview is similarly inky bluish/purple to the rim. Tasting like blood, this wine is dense and rich with lots of chocolate, espresso, earth and spice. It is deep, full-bodied, and again, a masculine style of wine that needs at least 4-5 years of cellaring and should keep for 25 or more years.
Lakeview Vineyard is the winery’s mid-block vineyard planted to a combination of clone 6 & 337 Cabernet Sauvignon on 101-14 rootstock. Excellent drainage from the rocky and chalky soils plus plenty of sunlight throughout the day produces wines of bold character with mouth filling flavors.
Organic farming methods are used to produce this Cabernet Sauvignon Casey's Lakeview vineyard. Vines are 17 years old. Ageing in French oak barrels (85% new) for 20 months, then 12 months in bottle prior to release. Non-filtered.
Review:
"The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Casey's Lakeview Vineyard is the most overt of these wines. Superripe black cherry, plum, chocolate and licorice add to an impression of flamboyance that sits on the edge of being too much. The effects of the drought are felt in the wine's slightly roasted profile. - Antonio Galloni"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (December 2016), 91 pts
Hickinbotham Trueman Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon.
Trueman represents Cabernet in Clarendon at its best. Its purity, its elegant style, its supple, polished nature ... it’s a wine of its own.Distinct in character, this is not like Cabernet from the Vales below or the hills to the east. From its pretty, delicate florals and musk, through to its silky blackcurrant and kalamata juice and down to its dark carbon soul - Trueman is a modern Cabernet that encapsulates all the toil and antiquity of Clarendon. Echoing the unearthed prose of wine writer Ebenezer Ward from 1886 on theCabernet sown from this very land – Trueman is “an excelled wine, of very marked flavor and bouquet”.
Review:
Deep garnet/purple, the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Hickinbotham Vineyard has a classic nose showing pronounced fresh blackcurrant and blackberry highlighted by cloves, menthol, pencil shavings and earth notes. Medium to full-bodied, taut and muscular, the palate has grainy tannins, nice freshness and a long finish.
-Wine Advocate 93 Points
Quattro Theory Chardonnay Napa Valley is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
VISION: Working with cool-climate fruit, Landon achieves a Napa Valley Chardonnay that is more traditional in style with balanced acidity, minimal oak and non-malolactic fermentation to highlight a full range of varietal fruit expression, taking inspiration from the coastal Chardonnays of Sonoma County.
VINEYARDS: The grapes for this Chardonnay are sourced from two vineyards: three blocks in our estate Vista Montone Vineyard located just east of Carneros, and Frasamani, a long-term grower partner vineyard located in the southernmost part of Carneros. These sites were selected for the variety of vineyard aspects (N, NE) and various vine age, soils and clones, which offer a complex palette of aromas, flavors and textures. The grapes are harvested by hand at night in small lots over a few weeks, picked when perfectly poised to achieve the vision for our wine style. GROWING SEASON: 2022 brought dry conditions given the persisting drought. Harvest started earlier given the warm temperatures with the fruit showcasing balanced acidity and freshness with remarkable flavors and textures. Even though yields were down, quality was excellent.
WINEMAKING: Our cellar is set up to handle each lot individually through the winemaking process, with every step intentionally designed to emphasize the natural aromatic and varietal character with minimal intervention. Each pick is whole-cluster pressed over two hours, with 23 check ins to ensure desired style— a gentle, yet labor-intensive program to help retain natural acidity and to isolate the exact desired press of juice. The juice is gently pumped to stainless-steel tanks then chilled to undergo cold stabulation for 5 days, keeping the light juice lees in suspension to enhance aromatics. The juice is then racked off the lees to each vessel and individually inoculated to begin a cold fermentation to completely dry, and then rests on the lees (yeast) for 6 months for a final build of body and flavors before the blend is assembled.
EXPERIENCE: With its expressive flavors and restrained oak presence, this Chardonnay offers the balance, structure and complexity to make it a perfect white wine option to go with food or enjoyed on its own. This wine’s range of fruit flavors includes crisp Asian pear, to stone fruit to tropical fruit. Suggested pairings include pan-seared scallops, butternut squash ravioli and mushroom and mozzarella pizza.
Review:
Bright, fresh green apples in the nose and tangy, appetizing lemon zest and kiwis on the palate give this lively wine a palate-cleansing expression that will be fantastic for pairing with fish, shellfish and poultry.
-Wine Enthusiast 93 Points
Holocene Sidereal Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
The word sidereal means relating to the stars, particularly when measuring time or astronomical events. Which is weird for an earthly delight of a wine that makes time stand still while you attempt to decipher a vast array of aromas ranging from blackcap raspberries and cherry blossoms to wet slate and moon dust. Blackberries rule on the palate, with Assam tea, bay leaf and black pepper flavors easing along a lithe and nimble mouthfeel. Sidereal is also balance personified